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There is no body part that associates you more with bodybuildingthan the biceps. Don’t you love training biceps? I’m betting you do. After all, questions on how to properly train biceps are some of the most frequently asked questions I get each week.

So, today, I’m going to show you one of my all-time favorite biceps bodybuilding workouts. But I’ve got to warn you… your biceps may be very sore and tired afterwards so don’t say I didn’t warn you!

But before I go any further, here are the nuts and bolts of my entire routine.

Workout frequency: 2 days on, 1 day off, 1 day on, 1 day off

This means I workout for two days followed by one day of rest. Then, I workout another day followed by another day off. Then I repeat.

I never train with weights more than two days in a row because I find that I build muscle faster if I have enough time to recuperate. (If you’re not making steady gains with your program try adding a few extra rest days each week. You may actually gain more by training less!

Okay, here’s how my typical bodybuilding workout schedule looks:

Day #1: Chest/Shoulders/Triceps

Day #2: Back/Biceps/Abs

Day #3: Rest Day

Day #4: Quads/Hamstrings/calves

Day #5: Rest Day

Then repeat

Now, you can certainly adapt this bodybuilding workout schedule to fit your specific needs. For example: If you want to take off the weekend from weight training (and many people do) then try 2 days on, 1 day off, 2 days on, 2 days off. Then repeat. This way you’ll have Wednesday along with Saturday and Sunday off each week. (The extra day of rest may be good for you!)

How To Make This Workout As Effective As Possible

Moving along, here are 8 things which you must do to make this workout as effective as possible:

1. Obtain a training log and use it to track your workouts.

2. Use as much weight as possible for the number of prescribed repetitions in each exercise.

3. Perform each set to failure.

4. Strive to increase your training poundages slowly each week.

5. Keep the total length of your workouts to 60 minutes or less (including initial warm-up.)

6. Use strict form on all exercises.

7. Minimize stress and rest completely on days off. Try to get 8 to 9 hours of sleep each night.

9. Use proper breathing techniques during the exercise. Got it? Good. Now, here comes the meat and potatoes of this article!

Biceps Exercises:

* Use a 2-0-2 tempo (three seconds to lower the weight, no pause at bottom, and two seconds to raise the weight). This is important!

* Take a 1 minute rest between sets.

* If you’re going to complete failure, you will need to reduce the training poundage by 10% after each set, in order to manage all the reps on the next set.

* If you’re just getting started, drop one set from each exercise and concentrate on form instead of going for the heavy poundage. (You’ll thank me later!)

* As you curl, allow your wrists to slightly hyperextend. This will take the load off your forearms and throw it onto your biceps!

Biceps Exercise #1: Concentration Curls

No, this isn’t a typo. I’ve found that starting my biceps routine with a one-arm-at-a-time isolation exercise really helps me stimulate the muscle because this strict movement forces the biceps to work with little assistance from any other muscle group.

* After warming up, perform 3 sets of 10 repetitions.

Tips: Place your elbow against the inside of the corresponding thigh. Keep your arm against your thigh throughout the movement. Curl the weight towards your shoulder in an arcing motion and squeeze at the top of the movement.

Avoid: Cheating or swinging throughout the movement or not working throughout the entire range of motion (especially the lower half).

Biceps Exercise #2: Biceps Curls

* Perform 3 sets of 10 repetitions.

* On the last set, drop the weight and do another 5 reps without rest.

Tips: Use a grip that’s wide enough so that the bar will clear your thighs. Curl the weight in an arcing motion while keeping your elbows fixed to your sides.

Avoid: Stopping the movement at the top or bottom of the exercise. Keep a steady pace.

Biceps Exercise #3: Preacher Curls

Because this exercise restricts movement of the upper arm at the bottom of the exercise, it’s a great “thickening” movement for the lower biceps.

* Perform 3 sets of 10 repetitions.

* On the last set, drop the weight and perform another 4 reps without rest.

Tips: Keep your armpits against the pad and focus on pulling with your biceps and not your deltoid muscles.

Avoid: Rocking excessively or leaning forward during the movement. Also, don’t hyperextend your elbows at the bottom of the exercise; stop just short of locking out.

Exercise #4: Hammer Curls

This exercise is mistakenly overlooked by many body builders. “Hammers” really help to build the thickness of the biceps muscle group.

* Perform 3 sets of 10 repetitions.

Tips: Perform in an alternate fashion while keeping the face of the dumbbell forward or upwards at all times.

Avoid: Swaying or rocking during this movement. It’s easy to do.

So there it is! Print off a copy of this tip and take it with you to the gym next time you’re training biceps! I’m confident your biceps will get nice and pumped!